Article: The Wild Will Regress If They Can't Improve Their Anemic Offense

[Tom Schreier]

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[MNCountryLife]

Hmmm...  I don't believe a team has to tank for several years to be good in the future.  If that was the case then teams wouldn't be stuck in the cellar for decades.   It also wouldn't explain how some teams seem to find ways to be competitive contenders almost every year.  

I would argue that recognition of potential talent and ability to harness that talent plays a much larger role in being an annual contender than higher draft picks.  

 

[SkolWild73]

Come on Tom.  

The Wild may have won seven straight, but they’re only a .500 team now (14-7-5, or 14-12 in other sports). 

You do know that is good for being tied with the 5th best points percentage in the league?

Philadelphia, Columbus, and Buffalo are some of the worst teams in hockey. 

Philadelphia is tied for 8th in points percentage and Columbus is 16th, I would not call them the worst teams in hockey.

Meanwhile, Minnesota scores 2.85 goals per game, slightly more than the Philadelphia Flyers (2.83), San Jose Sharks (2.81), and Columbus Blue Jackets (2.80). The New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings (2.88) score more than the Wild. So do the Vancouver Canucks, Utah Mammoth, and Buffalo Sabres [italics] (2.96). 

Sure, we sit at 25th in goals for per game, but since the Utah game, or the last 17 games, we are 12th in goals per game played and 4th in goal differential.  Also, there is more to the game than just goals per game.  Toronto is 6th in goals per game and sits at 27th in points percentage.

The Wild can beat anyone on any given night, but they can also lose to the worst teams in the league.

Yes, the Wild lost in OT to Buffalo where the game tying goal was a fluke.  The Wild have played 6 games against teams with a .500 points percentage or lower this year and are 4-1-1 for nine points. It's the NHL. Good teams lose to bad teams sometimes.  Dallas has played 7 games against the same teams and is 4-2-1 for nine points.

 

[MNCountryLife]

What happened to the phrase:  "Defense wins championships".  This team needs depth scoring  and defense to win.  I still think we are short 2 high end wingers for the top 6 to really be cup contenders.  But whoever we bring in... they must adhere to our defense first mentality.  It is how we are built.